The Spurs’ starting lineup continued its recent surge on Friday, improving to 9-2 with an overwhelming point differential of plus 38 per 100 possessions over the past 11 games.
The unit of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Tiago Splitter had started just one game together through mid-January, one of many reasons why the Spurs plummeted to seventh in the Western Conference playoff race.
Three months later, the group is healthy and jelling. Parker and Leonard are peaking. Duncan hasn’t missed a game since Dec. 20, his most durable stretch in years. Prior to Friday’s victory over Boston, Green had made 31 of 62 3-pointers.
Perhaps most encouraging of all, blue-collar role player Tiago Splitter is coming into his own after a season marred by injury and underachievement. He scored a season-high 18 points against the Celtics, his third game with double-figures in the past four.
“It looks like he’s moving faster,” Parker said. “You can see the difference.”
Splitter’s return to the starting lineup on Feb. 27 reunited the unit that anchored the Spurs’ Finals teams in each of the past two seasons.
In 116 combined minutes since then, the starters are shooting 58 percent together while limiting opponents to an average of 91 points per 100 possessions. Splitter is averaging 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while shooting 56.6 percent in that span.
The group has a net rating of plus 25.4 points per 100 possessions in 182 total minutes this year, fourth in the NBA among 176 five-man units that have played at least 100 together.
Splitter might not be the absolute key to that success, but coach Gregg Popovich regards him as essential to the Spurs’ postseason hopes.
“We need him to play well for us to be a good team,” he said.
I think Parkers return to form has a lot to do with our recent success but it seems that whenever Tiago's healthy and starting we're a tough team to beat. It's hard to pinpoint why exactly we're so much better with him on the floor but all the little things he does out there just make us a far better team on both ends. Hopefully he can stay healthy down the stretch because we need him.